Five sweet shops shut, licences of five others suspended in Hyderabad over food safety violations

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has shut five sweet manufacturing and retail establishments and suspended the food safety licences of five others following inspections.

The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has shut five sweet manufacturing and retail establishments and suspended the food safety licences of five others following inspections that uncovered multiple violations, including pest infestation, expired food products and unhygienic food preparation practices.

A total of 13 enforcement teams comprising food safety officers and Hyderabad city police personnel inspected 16 sweet manufacturing and retail units in Hyderabad on Wednesday. During the inspections, officials collected 22 food samples on suspicion of adulteration and seized or discarded 3,546.5 kg of food articles worth ₹16.86 lakh.

The five establishments ordered to close for operating without valid Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licences or under unhygienic conditions were Balaji Sweets at Champapet, Mamatha Sweet House at Secunderabad, SK Foods at Kattedan, Hameedi Confectionaries at MJ Market and Annapurna Caterers at Chudi Bazaar.

The violations flagged during inspections include cockroach infestation, unclean utensils, expired food, greasy equipment, use of newspapers to cover sweets, pests in almonds and lack of employee health records.

Additionally, the food safety licences of five other establishments, including Agra Mithai Ghar Restaurant at Charminar, G. Pulla Reddy Sweets at Sanath Nagar, Sweetone Ruchulu India Private Limited Vanasthalipuram, Balaji Sri Kishan Mithai Bhandar at Falaknuma and Hirani Foods Private Limited(Minerva Sweets) at Kattedan, have been suspended. They have been directed to stop business operations immediately in the interest of public health.

At G. Pulla Reddy Sweets, officials reported rotten vegetables, rat droppings, expired and mislabelled food articles, improper storage and unhygienic manufacturing and washing areas. Food articles weighing 3,133 kg and valued at ₹15.03 lakh were seized from the establishment.

Show-cause notices have been issued to seven establishments, including Bharat Baklava at Sanath Nagar and Karachi Bakery International Private Limited at Timmapur. Further action, including the imposition of penalties, will be initiated against the establishments, TG SAFE said.

An improvement notice will also be issued to Sri Shagun Mithai Vatika at Himayatnagar, where officials identified lapses requiring rectification. The establishment will be reinspected to verify compliance with food safety norms, and further action will be taken based on the findings.